Story Notes: Competition and Companionship · 5:41pm May 4th, 2015
So, I have a bit more than usual to comment on this time, so I’m gonna do a notes blog like Admiral Biscuit.
First, I didn’t really get this story to the point I wanted it to. The main reason being it was for a contest with a 10k word limit. I think I’m going to expand it eventually, and the final length is probably going to land somewhere in the 20k-24k range. I skipped and skimmed more of the challenges than I really wanted to, and even I think the actual romance is a bit rushed in the end.
Plus, I originally intended there to be a final scene where Spike and Dash come back to Ponyville. Here it is from the outline:
Finale chapter. Will show the conclusion of the races (they come in second behind LyraBon), reveal that Trixie and Dust’s antics were seen and they’re in deep shit, explain why help never came (basically, Twilight was ready to jump to them any second, but wanted to see Spike and Dash really shine - though sometimes they were just in places beyond her scrying, like in the canyon), and reveal that the rest of the Mane Six were being blatant voyeurs as to their blossoming relationship. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Twilight were squealing over the first night under the same blanket and the kiss. Wrap up his thing with Rarity - he admits he still likes her, but he’s letting it go now. She wishes them both the best.
My changelings are a little different from the norm. They’re not a natural race, but instead a forced mutation. I was probably inspired by the invae from Shadowrun on this point.
Here’s the changelings entry from my setting notes file:
Changelings are near-mindless drones, and do not have names of their own, nor usually anything more than a rudimentary sense of self. Rather than being born, they are made. A pony is placed within a cocoon (even a recently-deceased body will work) and the Queen (currently, this is only Chrysalis) or hive-queen (a changeling that’s more advanced and capable of more independent thought than a drone, but not a full Queen) introduces a catalyst that begins the transformation into a changeling. Changelings can occasionally develop a rudimentary personality, created from the accumulated fragments of memories from ponies they mimic, though this takes a great deal of time. These older changelings are the ones Chrysalis typically promotes to hive-queens.
Though there is only one Queen of the Changelings, every changeling has the potential to become a Queen. If Chrysalis is ever killed, her consciousness will spread across the hivemind until a particularly capable specimen arises. Her consciousness will then coalesce into this single changeling (usually a hive-queen) and begin a transformation much like the initial pony-to-changeling conversion or the hive-queen promotion. Upon completion of the transformation, Chrysalis’ mind completely replaces the body’s, and she is reborn. She can only be permanently killed if changelings are made extinct.
There are roughly a dozen “hiveless” changelings. These were changeling warriors during the invasion of Canterlot that, for some reason, were not expelled by Cadance and Shining Armor’s spell. Instead, their connection to the hivemind was broken, and they quickly found themselves developing their own minds and full personalities. The majority of these free changelings have adopted names and begun trying to peacefully blend in to pony society, though a few are public about their nature, as well.
There are currently five hiveless changelings that I’ve written up for use in fics, though Springtail’s appearance in this story is the first time I’ve used one in a published work.
The current list is Ladybird, Azure Spring, Springtail, Swallowtail, and Dartwing.
I’d like to say that Dartwing’s name having a different origin is me being clever because he’s a bit different from the others, but I was actually just running out of decent names.
I mentioned this in the original version of the story when Dash and Spike met Lightning Dust and Trixie, but it didn’t make it into my second draft. The story is set two years post-canon, and Dash is a Wonderbolt now. However, she’s on second flight. Though she trains with the rest of them and wears the full uniform, she doesn’t usually perform on the same flight team as Spitfire, Soarin, and Fleetfoot. She and the rest of second flight are backups for when one of the first flight Wonderbolts is injured or they’re double-booked for events.
She’s matured a bit since the show canon, and is still proud of her position instead of bemoaning being a B-lister. Though she does keep pushing herself to eventually join the higher ranks.
There’s a reason Trixie backslid to her S1 attitude for the most part. I’m not going into great detail because, like the changeling info, it would involve a lengthy post about a story I haven’t written yet.
But, in short, don’t assume a spell is safe just because “it’s just a simple scrying spell”, even if your commanding officer used it in spite of his impeded magical ability.
Yes, Rainbow Dash is totally oblivious to her own innuendo.
Okay, I thought I’d have more on it than that. Maybe this will be extended as well once I take more than three days to work on it.
Welcome to the club, nigga.
Whoo! I'm famous!
Possibly looking forward to that